Jayson Tatum has been a driving force in the Boston Celtics' success since Christmas, and for one of his NBA peers, that’s enough to get him into the conversation for All-NBA first team.
The Celtics made a meteoric turnaround around the new year, and in the ensuing months started playing a markedly better brand of basketball. They really catapulted into the upper levels of the Eastern Conference at the trade deadline, when they sent Josh Richardson in a package that brought Derrick White to Boston, while Dennis Schroder was swapped for Daniel Theis.
All the while, Tatum continued to be the go-to guy in Boston. And as they enter the postseason as one of the favorites in the conference, it has sparked conversation that perhaps Tatum deserves to make All-NBA first team this season.
CJ McCollum is in his corner, explaining on his podcast "Pull Up with CJ McCollum" why Tatum deserves the honor.
“The Celtics struggled a lot this season early on. People were doubting then, can (Tatum) play with Jaylen Brown, is it the coach, what is it?" McCollum said. "They make that trade at the deadline, trade Josh Richardson and they go on to win, what, 22 out of the next 28? Twenty-three out of 29 games down the stretch. They go from slightly under .500 to the second-best record in the East in a hurry. And it’s a credit to his development, his willingness to start passing and how well they’ve defended as a team.
“Obviously they’re missing (Robert Williams) now, which will be a challenge when they play the Brooklyn Nets in the first round. But I really like his game, I like how he’s evolved, and I think that should be the first-team All-NBA, but it probably won’t be and there are a lot of players that deserve it.”
McCollum included Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic as locks, with Devin Booker joining Tatum as the last two in.
Jokic and Antetokounmpo are widely regarded as locks, and in most cases so too is Embiid. Among those joining Tatum and Booker as fringe guys are Luka Doncic, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, DeMar DeRozan and Trae Young.
Making All-NBA is a big deal for players not just for bragging rights, but also because it carries financial implications. Tatum will land on either the first or second team, but if McCollum’s perspective is shared by those in the media who vote on it, then that could be good news for Tatum.
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